Long Road Home (The Barker Triplets 4)

Shane yanked up his head and spied a car with flashing lights parked beside the Chevy. On the porch stood a woman he hadn’t yet met, along with Miss Callie and a police officer. When they spied Shane and Mackie, the woman nearly tripped over the steps as she ran down to meet up with them.

“Oh my God, Mackie.” She enveloped the little boy in a hug, her face white with worry as she glanced up at Shane. “We didn’t know where you were. Your mother wasn’t answering her phone, and we…” She bit her lip and stopped the tumble of words. It took only a moment for her to get hold of herself, and she glanced at Shane with a questioning look.

“I was at the diner and…” Shane was aware that little ears were tuned in on him. “Well, Mackie’s mother was going to be delayed, and since I was headed back here, I offered to walk him back. I’m Shane, by the way. We haven’t met yet, but I’m staying here.”

“I’m Marybeth, Mackie’s grandmother. Well, thank you so much for getting him here. His daddy got back a few hours ago and has just about been going crazy.” Marybeth put her arms around the boy. “How about we go to Nana’s rooms and have a big old bath?”

“Do I have to?” Mackie grimaced.

“Yes, you do.”

“Oh, man.” The little guy shook his head and took off for the porch, where a man had joined Miss Callie and the police officer. Tall and muscular, the newcomer looked to be about Shane’s age, and he assumed this was Marshall, Mackie’s father, on account the little guy jumped up and was immediately enveloped in a bear hug.

“Thank you for looking out for my grandson,” Marybeth said slowly. “My daughter isn’t the most reliable person.” Her voice shook a bit. “How did Gabby seem?”

Shane considered his answer for a couple of seconds and then decided that the only option was honesty. “She was looking to score from her dealer. That’s why she was delayed.”

“Oh.” The one word answer was soft and barely audible. “She was doing so good. I’d hoped…” Marybeth’s chin trembled as she glanced away. “I’d hoped that maybe she’d turned the corner after her last stint in rehab. I guess I was wrong.”

“It’s not an easy path.”

Marybeth looked back at him.

“Addiction is a tough one but don’t give up on her. Even the ones we think of as hopeless manage to survive. Not always, but they do. I can promise you that.”

“You speak as though you’ve been through this.”

“I’m one of the hopeless.”

Marybeth considered him for a few moments. “What helped you get past all of it? What helped you care for more than the need to disappear from life? I thought Mackie would be enough to clear Gabby’s head, that a child would be enough. But he’s not. All she cares about is herself and her drugs.”

“It was a long road. A hard road. I can’t lie about that. When I was low, so low I thought I could see the bottom, my grandfather tossed my ass in jail, and I learned real quick there was a lot more space between myself and the bottom. I resented him for a long time. Hell, I rejected anyone who showed any bit of caring. But it was the best thing that happened to me. Even though I thought it was too late to get back all those things I’d lost, eventually, I found my way back.”

Shane spied Bobbi Jo standing beside Marshall, and his gut tightened at the sight of her. Dressed in a pair of old jean shorts and a plain white T-shirt, with damp hair curling around her shoulders, she sure as hell looked like the girl he’d fallen for all those years ago.

His mouth tightened with resolve, and he knew it was crunch time. But he was going to take things slow. He would make every moment count.

He’d lost her twice.

It wasn’t going to happen again.

Chapter Nine

Bobbi had watched the commotion from her window, alarmed to see a police car out front. Her first thought had been that something had happened to Shane. She’d hardly slept a wink and heard him leave earlier, heart in her throat when he paused at her door. She knew he hadn’t returned to the bed-and-breakfast. Bobbi threw on her clothes and ran down two flights of stairs in bare feet. She’d barely stepped onto the long, wide veranda when she spied Shane at the end of the driveway with little Mackie.

Just the sight of him made her trip over her feet, and she only just managed to keep from face-planting in front of everyone. She inhaled sharply, aware that her heart was beating so fast and hard, she was pretty sure everyone could hear. She took a calming breath and tapped Marshall on the arm, and he filled her in on what was going on. When Mackie barreled into him like a runaway train, she glanced back and found Shane’s gaze settled on her.

Bobbi felt it like a touch. Like his hands were on her. And there it was. That pull neither one of them seemed to be able to break.

She stepped aside when Marshall hauled his son onto his shoulders, and took another step back when Marybeth and Shane moved toward the porch just as the police officer left. Her first instinct was to flee. To regroup and get her shit together, because right now, things were too raw. Her emotions were too close to the surface.

But Miss Callie smiled and walked over. Her hair was tied back by a bright red kerchief, and there were grease stains on the purple apron that looked two sizes too big for her.

“I hear that there is your husband,” Miss Callie said softly.

Startled, Bobbi Jo could only manage a small nod.

“He sure is a handsome thing.”